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His and Hers Cactus Pen Set

A few months ago I donated a his/hers Statesman/Jr. Statesman Fountain pen along with a mesquite display case to a local charity auction. It was the most popular silent auction item and ended up selling for $1,000. Anyway, the wife of the runner-up bidder contacted me a few weeks ago and commissioned me to make another one for her husband for Christmas. This is the final results right before I delivered them this morning:

The pens are clear resin with black centers and the base is covered with black velvet. The prop is obviously a piece of cactus skeleton. The case is made with mesquite that I salvaged from a road construction site. I milled the lumber, cut the glass, and made the case. No mechanical fasteners of any sort were used for the construction of the case.

I am quite proud of the finished product and more importantly, she was very pleased with it. If anyone would like close-ups of the case construction for ideas on building your own, let me know. I took a number of close-ups while I was photographing the whole thing.

For those who are not familiar with cactus pens...A few months ago I created a process to use prickly pear cactus skeletons to make pens. I process the dead cactus pads to remove the pulp and leave the woody skeleton and then bleach it and dry it in a little kiln I made. I then cut it up and cast it in Alumilite urethane resin to make the pen blank.

Those are some truly fine pens you've created, using a truly unique blank, and a suitably formal display case. Great work indeed...you have every right to be proud!

I was going to ask for more detail on making those blanks, but after visiting your site, I see you're selling them. Giving away the manufacturing technique wouldn't be a good business idea, so I won't ask. But I'll probably be ordering some once I get the shop finished...

Can I ask what kits you use for your pens. With a set going for the sort of money yours demand, I would expect nothing but the best and am interested in what you've chosen.

Thanks for sharing...
- Marty -

Fivebraids, Inc.
When you earnestly believe you can compensate for a lack of skill by doubling your efforts, there’s no end to what you can’t do…